Promoting ‘green collar’ jobs is
focus of LERC’s new STAR Fund
Up to six union members will be
taking a three-day field trip to Califor-
nia this summer to study local efforts
to promote what are being called
“green collar” jobs — jobs that come
out of efforts to combat environmental
ills like global warming. The trip
comes thanks to a new fund set up by
the Labor Education Research Center
(LERC), the Strategic Training and
Action Research (STAR) Fund.
Former LERC director Margaret
Hallock was among a crowd of
several hundred to turn out March
7 to celebrate LERC’s 30th
anniversary. Also attending were
UO President Dave Frohnmayer
(standing behind ) and Gov. Ted
Kulongoski.
It’s the fund’s first project, and
dovetails closely with plans by LERC
educator (and AFL-CIO secretary-
treasurer) Barbara Byrd. Byrd wants
to get Oregon labor leaders up to
speed on global warming before next
year’s session of the Oregon Legisla-
ture. That’s when state lawmakers will
be debating how to curb greenhouse
gas emissions that are contributing to
global warming. Labor unions could
help push to make sure tax-subsidized
investments create living wage jobs —
not just profits for eco-entrepreneurs.
The project is titled, “Just Transi-
tion: Developing a union approach to
the challenge of global warming.”
LERC will be accept applications un-
til May 1. Union members whose ap-
plications are accepted will take part
in extensive study prior to the field
trip. Then they’ll travel to the San
Francisco Bay area, where local
unions have already been securing
union jobs from local efforts to ad-
dress global warming. Upon their re-
turn to Oregon, participants will spend
time educating other union members.
The STAR Fund was begun with a
$115,000 bequest from former Car-
penters business agent Robert
Uhrbrand and his wife Cloydene, a
teacher. Leading up to LERC’s 30th
anniversary celebration, LERC did
fundraising to increase that endow-
ment. LERC director Bob Bussel said
the goal was $30,000; over $60,000
was raised.
Roger G. Worthington, P.C. leads the fight to find a cure
Oregon labor turns out to
celebrate 30 years of LERC
Close to 600 people attended what
amounted to the 30th birthday party of
the University of Oregon’s Labor Edu-
cation & Research Center, a $60-a-
head dinner at the Oregon Convention
Center. Among the attendees were Ore-
gon Governor Ted Kulongoski and
University of Oregon president Dave
Frohnmayer.
LERC was founded in order to use
university’s intellectual resources —
teaching and research — to aid labor
unions. As such, its budget has some-
times faced political attacks in the Leg-
islature from union foes. But that also
Q
means the department has its friends —
elected leaders and others — and they
filled the banquet hall March 7.
Frohnmayer assured them of the
university’s continued support, and Ku-
longoski, who was present at LERC’s
birth, praised the department for 30
years of service.
“LERC,” Kulongoski told attendees,
“exemplifies the social compact be-
tween government and labor that build
America’s middle class.”
Proceeds from the dinner benefited
a new fund LERC set up for special
projects.
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PAGE 8
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